Megayachts News

When Chinese billionaire Jack Ma took a trip to Spain's Mallorca island last month, much was made of it being his first foreign foray since a 2020 fallout with regulators had clipped his wings.However, Ma's sunny sojourn on his newly-built 88-metre (289 ft) cruise boat Zen - estimated to be worth $200 million - also put a spotlight on a global trend: the return of the superyacht.As the number of billionaires grows and COVID-19 has added to incentives for avoiding crowds, the multi…

Damen's luxury yacht builder Amels has launched a new 77-meter expedition yacht La Datcha.La Datcha’s emergence from her building hall in the Netherlands this week marks the start of the final stages of her build process before she heads on a global charter itinerary which is set to include heli-skiing in Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and dive adventures off Papua New Guinea. This a yacht built for adventure – custom designed to explore the world’s far-reaching destinations without compromising on luxury.

Dutch shipbuilding major Damen Shipyards Group launched its new 55-meter support yacht named Blue Ocean in its yard at Antalya, Turkey and will soon be ready for delivery.The new vessel is the eighth launch from the 55m YS 5009 (182 ft) range and will be available for delivery in spring 2020.The launch of Blue Ocean highlights the multipurpose role of Yacht Support vessels. She is the first Yacht Support built with a large multipurpose Main Deck hangar, which can be used for submersible and dive operations, or as a vehicle garage or workshop.According to a statement, like previous deliveries, Blue Ocean is configured for a blend of adventure and superyacht support functions…

AMELS contracted Alewijnse Marine to perform the complete electrical systems installation on the first two vessels of its new range of Limited Edition AMELS 60 superyachts.The 60-meter long AMELS combines innovative naval architecture with hybrid propulsion technology.Alewijnse will deliver a total package of electrical installation and systems integration, encompassing an Integrated Bridge System, Audio-Video systems and IT network as well as the hybrid propulsion system.The electrical engineering phase is underway for the first AMELS 60.

Brazilian shipyard Sedna Yachts has officially commenced production of its new ‘One Hundred Feet’, a project signed by Italy’s Marino Alfani Design."This is the first time that we build a yacht above the 30m threshold and so a new entry to the Brazilian superyacht order-book," said the Sao Paulo based shipyard.The 100ft custom yacht with streamlined contours has been created with two different layouts, meeting the needs of both European and Brazilian owners alike.“All my designs, despite their diversity, share a few standout features,” said the young Bergamo-based designer Marino Alfani, owner of the firm set up in 2007 that bears his name.

Marco Segato has been appointed CEO of Sanlorenzo Americas, the division that has aided in the Italian superyacht-builder’s expansion in North, Central and South America for the last 10 years.The  Italian shipbuilding company company said that Marco Segato, formerly Vice President of Sales of Sanlorenzo Americas since 2014, held important positions in the field of strategic consulting and business development Having developed a great wealth of experience in the boating sector, Segato has also been made a shareholder of the US company and will further build upon the growth achieved by Sanlorenzo Americas.Sanlorenzo Americas, based in Fort Lauderdale and New York leads a sales network that includes Perù, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Canada.

Dutch superyacht builder Oceanco has acquired the premises of Heerema Zwijndrecht as part of the company's long-term initiative for growth, expansion, and consolidation of its construction activities.These new facilities of Heerema Fabrication Group, which builds massive offshore oil platforms, will be a hub that will allow numerous co-makers to physically set up offices alongside the construction works, encouraging maximum synergy and co-maker alignment among all parties.The site will serve as what the builder calls a “superyacht brain park,” said a press release.The construction and outfitting facilities will be utilised in several different ways.

St. Lucie County Commissioners approved a 30-year contract with Derecktor Shipyards of Dania Beach to lease land from the county and operate a mega-yacht repair center and refit facility at the Port of Fort Pierce.After a nearly year-long process, the County and Derecktor Shipyards signed a long-term agreement for the development and operation of a megayacht maintenance, repair and refit facility at the Port."The new shipyard will be unique in the U.S. – the first facility designed and built specifically to accommodate power and sailing yachts in the 200 ft. plus range. Until now, these large yachts, particularly sailing vessels which require extreme overhead clearance and considerable water depth, have had few or no shipyard options in this country," said a press release.Derecktor Ft.

The Italian luxury yacht builder Cantiere delle Marche (CdM) announced the sale of DEEP BLUE 43 a new, fully custom 43-metre explorer yacht designed by Horacio Bozzo Design.DEEP BLUE 43 is the latest addition to the yard’s significantly active Order Book. The contract has been signed last December and the latest project’s details have been defined in these last few weeks. The yacht is already under construction with delivery due in 2021.DEEP BLUE 43 has been commissioned by an experienced Owner who, in the past years, owned yachts built by shipyards such as Feadship, Lürssen, Blohm and Voss. He is a repeated client for CdM, a yard which…

Family-run shipyard Overmarine has delivered Mangusta Oceano 43, the third 43-meter yacht in the Mangusta Oceano series of displacement vessels, previously known as “Project Firenze” to its owner.The official ceremony was held on Overmarine Group’s private quay following the successful completion of the tests and sea trials, held in the rough winter seas.The 43 metre, three decked yacht, which has been designed by Alberto Mancini, is built from steel and aluminium. It has a beam measuring 8.7 metres and a 450GT.Mangusta is one of the few yachting brands still owned - and always managed, too - by a family, the Balducci family, who has been working in the boating industry since the 1950s.With over 300 boats delivered…

Italian custom superyacht builder Baglietto said that its construction of the hull no. 10225 is right on schedule, according to the program that will be launched next spring.The new 55-meter hull is part of Baglietto’s traditional platform (the T-Line) designed by Francesco Paszkowski Design, said a press release.The vessel’s soft and sleek lines reflect Baglietto’s traditional Italian style, and, together with the lowered gunwales and side air vents, will embody the Seagull brand’s unmistakable aesthetic features. Francesco Paszkowski designed the warm and cozy interior in collaboration with architect Margherita Casprini."The layout…

The new flagship, named “Race” by its owner, took to the seas in a ceremony at the Riva Superyachts Division shipyard in Ancona."Riva 50 mt realises the dream of Carlo Riva who, in the 1960s and ‘70s, driven by his brilliantly ambitious desire to exceed every limit, created the famous Caravelle and Atlantic series steel motor yachts of which Riva 50 mt is the worthy heir, with her peerless standards of aesthetics, style and innovation," said press release.At 50 meters long and with a maximum beam of 9 meters, she offers an outstanding experience at sea, featuring comfort, elegance, care over detail and exceptional yacht building expertise.

Italian yacht builder Columbus Yachts (part of Palumbo Superyachts) launched its current flagship Dragon - the new 80-meter Columbus Classic - in Ancona.Dragon is set to become the largest vessel ever built by Columbus Yachts, featuring impressive interior volume of over 2,100 GT spread over six decks.The vessel with exterior and naval architecture by Hydro Tec and interior by Francesco Guida Design is to be delivered later this year.Dragon joins the Columbus’ outstanding fleet of superyachts like award-winning Sport Hybrid 40 M/Y Divine and M/Y Eleonora 3, 54 meters M/Y Prima, 57 meters M/Y Taiba.Among many distinguishing features, M/Y Dragon stands out for the 8-meter swimming pool with a counter-current swimming facility on the sun deck…

The German shipyard Lürssen launched the 95-metre yacht Madsummer, previously known as project Fiji, from its yard in Rendsburg.The 311-footer superyacht hit the waters of the Kiel Canal and showed off her exterior lines designed by Harrison Eidsgaard."The Owner’s captain and Moran Yacht & Ship supervised the project and brought in their huge spectrum of experience and consolidated knowledge," said a press release.Madsummer‘s exterior lines done by London-based yacht and aircraft design studio Harrison Eidsgaard. The interior is designed by Studio Laura Sessa.Among the special features are a large beach club and spa area with a sea terrace on the lower deck. On the upper deck aft, there is a walkable skylight and an integrated fireplace for cosy moments in the evening.

Numarine, the European high performance motor yacht shipyard headquartered in Istanbul, has delivered third superyacht in Numarine’s 32XP series.The 32XP unit no. 3 is a sister ship to the first hull of the series, M/Y Marla (delivered in summer 2017), and has a similar look and layout, the Turkish shipyard said in a press release. The 32.5m yacht was built in 2018 by Numarine. She features an exterior design by Can Yalman and an interior by Can Yalman. She can sleep up to 12 guests taken care of by a crew of 5."The yacht is easy to manage thanks to a user-friendly interface developed by Energy Solutions, and the captain runs her without an engineer.

Part of the Ferretti Group of luxury yacht brands, superyacht builder CRN has launched the M/Y 135, the new fully custom steel and aluminium megayacht.Over a thousand people were there to witness the occasion at an elegant private ceremony, where the majestic personality of this magnificent ship took centre stage, to the delight of all who have worked to design and build her, claimed a press release.The yacht is 79 metres long and with a beam of 13.50 metres. "Her sleek lines catch the eye, crisply emphasized by the smooth profile of her hull. She is the fruit of another successful collaboration between CRN and the architects Zuccon International Project…

The designer and builder of sportyachts and super yachts, Johnson Yachts has announced the launch of its ninth 24.1-metre Johnson 80 motor yacht in Taiwan.The  luxury yachts builder describes the new 80-footer as an entry-level superyacht, chiefly because the Taiwan yard offers this model with the same high level of interior customization that has helped make the Johnson Yachts name over the last 30 years.With a focus on building yachts with excellent interior volume, Johnson Yachts set apart this latest Johnson 80 with a striking interior design by Karen Lynn Interior Design, said a statement from the company.“The latest addition to the Johnson Yachts fleet is sure to impress yachting enthusiasts the world over,” said Andy Huang, president of Johnson Yachts.

UAE builder Gulf Craft announced that the 54-metre concept Majesty 175 is currently being constructed by UAE builder Gulf Craft at the company’s Umm Al Quwain facility, with her delivery scheduled to the end of 2019.The completion process of the largest yacht “Made in UAE”, is going at a fast pace, said the manufacturer of luxury yachts and fiberglass boats."Originally introduced to the public during the Monaco Yacht Show in 2016, the 54 metres flagship is being built completely at the advanced facility in Umm Al Quwain. Scheduled for delivery by the end of 2019, the tri-deck 490-tonne mega yacht will have trans-Atlantic capability and over 4…

Dutch yard Amels has launched the 23rd model in its Amels 180 Limited Editions range, which has been named Papa.The 55-metre Amels 180 superyacht was the first of many new Amels superyachts nearing completion for their owners before the summer season begins.For the yacht’s crew, the launch is a milestone bringing the maiden voyage closer after many months working together with the Amels team. Captain Paul Bessant commented: “The teamwork here, the way that you feel so involved with everything, the relationship with the project managers. You feel very included, you feel that you really are part of the process from the beginning to the launch.”The launch uses the Roll-on / Float-off or ‘RoFlo’ method…

Pershing has announced the launch of its first aluminium superyacht, the flagship Pershing 140.The 42.53m yacht hit the water in the Ferretti Group's Super Yacht Yard in Ancona, a facility specializing in building steel and aluminium superyachts above 40 metres, said a press release from Pershing Yacht, a Ferretti Group unit."Born from a collaboration between architect Fulvio De Simoni, the Ferretti Group Product Strategy Committee led by engineer Piero Ferrari, and the Group's Engineering Department, the new 140-footer (LOA 43,3m) is the first Pershing to be produced at the Ancona Superyacht Yard, a Ferretti Group facility specialized in building super and mega yachts above 40 m…

Oceanco’s newest project, the 105-meter (345 ft) diesel-electric driven Esquel has been conceived and designed to explore new territories.Oceanco created Esquel in collaboration with Timur Bozca Design, stylist Gina Brennan, Lateral Naval Architects and Engineering and Pelorus—an experiential and yacht expedition travel company.Sporting a displacement hull with a plumb bow, Esquel has been designed for extensive cruising to remote regions extending from the North Pole to the South Pole and everywhere in between.A blend between an expedition vessel and a superyacht…

Bavaria Yachts, the producer of sailing and motor yachts in Europe, has appointed Michael Müller as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH in Germany. He will also be responsible for the division of the Nautitech Catamarans SAS in France.The move follows on from a three-month tenure for Michael as MD for sales and marketing for the group. This position was previously vacant.“In the few weeks with Michael Müller on board we have learned how effective he is and how well he has been received by employees and dealers,” said Dr Ralph Kudla of CMP Capital Management Partners, representing and advising the investing equity fund and chief restructuring officer.

Heesen has unveiled the latest yacht in the 55m Steel class, YN 18455. The YN 18455, now christened Vida and formerly known as Project Antares.Launched earlier this year on January 4, Vida is now entering the systems commissioning phase and is getting ready for sea trials.Vida is the third in the successful 55m FDHF Steel class, which features muscular exterior lines by Frank Laupman of Omega Architects. The profile is clean thanks to the absence of fashion plates and the design…